​Crime-fighting robots patrol in Silicon Valley

Updated on: November 20, 2014 / 1:45 PM
/ CBS News

In a parking lot in Silicon Valley, two robot security guards were on patrol.

The creation of Mountain View, Calif., company Knightscope, and resembling something out of a Star Wars movie, the K5 security robots stand 5 feet tall, weigh 300 pounds, and are outfitted with a laser scanner and a 360-degree video camera that streams live footage to (humans in) a command center.

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The robots are autonomous, roving throughout a designated perimeter, recording activity and navigating around people and things in their paths. They are designed for information and intimidation rather than confrontation. The unarmed robots are intended to scare off potential burglars.

But if one should persist, Knightscope co-founder Stacy Stephens told CBS San Francisco's Joe Vazquez, "Then the robot is looking at the video, listening for glass breakage, any loud sound that breaking in would cause. We'll get the license plate, picture of the vehicle, geotag location, and time."

The company said the robots are currently in operation at one Silicon Valley location, but did not disclose where.

They claimed to have a waiting list of about four dozen companies in line to acquire a K5 and they expect to put many of these robots in place sometime next year in outdoor settings, such as corporate campuses, college campuses and open air malls.